The business fax machine alternative

Fax — short for facsimile — is a telecommunication technology for transferring documents over the telephone network.

How the fax machine got here

Faxing came into being in the 1970s and became popular in Japan first, before spreading to the rest of the world. By the 1980s fax machines had reached critical mass and were commonplace in offices everywhere.

As newer technology arrived, the fax machine came under pressure and combined with printers, scanners and copiers to hold its place in the office. Faxing still retains certain advantages over newer technologies for certain applications.

Many corporate environments moved to fax servers in the late 1990s, which cut cost by reducing printed output and the number of analogue lines needed, and gave users their own fax numbers.

Where it ended up

The early 2000s brought internet fax providers, letting people send and receive faxes from their email. No downloads, no software, no fax machine, no toner, no ink cartridges, no fax server — and no hardware, software or licences for IT to maintain.

Business fax users took to it as a way of giving staff their own fax numbers, keeping faxes looking professional and cutting the cost of sending them. Some go further and use online faxing to improve business processes.

A provider like UTBox lets you send and receive faxes and send SMS from your email, as well as broadcast a fax to many recipients. No fax machine required — talk to us about the free trial.